COMMUNITY & SITE

GOALS

Primary goals in community and site selection for green buildings include
protecting sensitive sites, preserving undeveloped sites, restoring and reusing
previously developed sites, reducing impact on flora and fauna, promoting
connection to community, and minimizing transportation impacts both on the
environment and energy use.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS
Protection of Sensitive Sites
Preservation and Restoration
Protection of Natural Features
Site Waste Management
Transportation Issues
Minimizing Light Pollution
Site Strategies and Energy Use
Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality
Enhancement
Transported Water
Impact of Outdoor Water on Indoor Environmental Quality
Site and Renewable Energy
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Implicit in these goals is a deep reverence for the natural and the wild
and the search for a balance between developed and undeveloped
areas, rather than viewing natural areas merely as resources for human
settlement.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

At the same time, we have to pay attention to reducing light

pollution, minimizing construction waste, managing storm water,
and curtailing site water use.
 Differences in climate affect all aspects of a building design, including wall materials and
assembly, size and orientation of windows, heating system selection, and methods for
controlling the moisture due to varying dew point temperatures within the building envelope.
Regional microclimates can further impact the duration of sunlight during the day, the amount
of rain, local wind speeds, and type of vegetation available for landscaping.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Protection of Sensitive Sites

Green building projects give priority to protecting sensitive sites. Definitions of
sensitive sites are generally governed by federal statute or regulation and
typically include such areas as prime farmland, parkland, flood hazard areas,
habitat for endangered or threatened species, primary dunes, old-growth
forests, wetlands, other water bodies, and conservation areas.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Protection of Sensitive Sites

Protection means not developing in these areas as well as within buffer
zones that provide an additional layer of protection. Development
includes the construction not only of buildings but also roads, parking,
and other infrastructure.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Preservation and Restoration

Greenfields are defined as previously undeveloped areas. Brownfields
are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities that
have actual or perceived levels of environmental contamination.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Preservation and Restoration

Greyfields are previously developed areas that are not contaminated, do
not require remediation, but have a visible residue of development and
infrastructure, such as vacant buildings, utilities, and asphalt.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Preservation and Restoration

Sites that have been previously developed but are neither known
greyfields nor brownfields are loosely referred to as previously
developed sites. It is important to note that previously cleared, farmed,
or forested lands are typically regarded as greenfields.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Preservation and Restoration

In green building development, restoration and reuse of brownfield
sites is regarded positively because it accomplishes two distinct
goals.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Preservation and Restoration

First, it prevents development of greenfields or otherwise sensitive
areas; secondly, the development process includes remediation of any
environmental contamination. Similarly, development on greyfield sites
and other previously developed sites is encouraged.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Preservation and Restoration

To preserve undeveloped areas, development of greenfields is
discouraged.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Protection of Natural Features

Where development is allowed on greenfield sites, site
disturbance should be minimized.
Protection of vegetation and the
re-introduction of plant life are also
desirable on the basis of their
carbon-absorbing characteristics.
The heat island effect refers
to the absorption and
retention of incoming solar
radiation by the buildings and
hardscape of urban areas.
When this heat is released
into the surrounding
atmosphere, relatively distinct
heat islands can be formed,
having higher temperatures
than their rural surroundings
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Waste Management

In preparing a site for construction, much waste is generated, often
before construction materials have even been brought onsite. Site waste
includes debris such as rocks, soil, and vegetation.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Waste Management

Green building projects should prevent such debris from being
transported to landfills or to sensitive sites.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Waste Management

Strategies include reusing materials onsite and recycling debris
offsite. Similarly, hazardous debris needs to be handled in an
environmentally sensitive manner
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Waste Management

A green building project should have a plan for managing building
site waste, preferably one that is integrated with the construction
materials waste management plan, to be discussed later.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Transportation Issues
Careful site planning incorporates facilities that encourage lesspolluting
modes of transportation. Examples include installing bicycle racks,
incorporating facilities for storing and covering bicycles, and providing
pedestrian paths for access.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Transportation Issues
Because the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists fosters walking
and biking, providing sidewalks, dedicated bicycle lanes, and
onsite traffic signs are highly desirable.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Minimizing Light Pollution

Light pollution disrupts natural diurnal patterns of light and dark and the
rhythms of life to which plants, animals, and humans have adapted,
interrupting circadian sleep cycles, interfering with normal plant growth,
and disturbing the habitat of nocturnal wildlife.
 COMMUNITY & SITE SELECTION
GOALS

Site Strategies and Energy Use

Site selection can have a significant effect on energy use. An
unprotected building on an exposed hilltop will use more energy
than a building sheltered by trees or adjacent buildings
 COMMUNITY & SITE SELECTION
GOALS

Site Strategies and Energy Use

In addition to trees, shielding from the wind can be accomplished
with strategic placement relative to adjacent buildings, garages,
sheds, fencing, retaining walls, grading, bushes, and shrubbery
 COMMUNITY & SITE SELECTION
GOALS

Site Strategies and Energy Use

Likewise, shielding buildings from the sun with deciduous trees reduces solar
gain in the summer while allowing solar gain in the winter. A variety of studies
have estimated cooling savings as high as 18%, depending on how many trees
are planted and where, with additional savings in heating due to protection from
the wind.
Site Strategies and Energy Use
Site planning does not only relate to landscaping and natural features.
Buildings often require exterior equipment on the site, such as air-
conditioning condensers, cooling towers, and pad-mounted
transformers.
Site Strategies and Energy Use
Unlike buildings, exterior air-conditioning and heat pump units,
cooling towers, and transformers operate more efficiently when
not blocked by vegetation or structures.
The issue is critical for air-conditioners
and even more so if the systems are
also heat pumps that provide heating
to the building as well. There are three
distinct risks, any one of which can
cause the system’s energy use to rise
by 20% or more:
Site Strategies and Energy Use
Heat pumps and air-conditioner condensing units should not be
located where outgoing air can recirculate back into the units,
which can substantially increase energy use.
 COMMUNITY & SITE SELECTION
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
In addition to protecting bodies of water and wetlands by creating a
buffer separating them from the project site, green projects have the
goals of mitigating the negative environmental effects of storm water
runoff and reducing the outdoor use of potable water on the site.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
Quantity of Storm Water Runoff
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
By working from the outside in, site selection seeks to reduce the need for
parking hardscape by maximizing the use of public and nonmotor-vehicle
transportation and minimizing the need for onsite parking through
community connectivity and compact development
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
Another strategy to reduce runoff is the promotion of onsite
percolation by replacing impervious surfaces with permeable
options, such as pervious pavers, porous asphalt, pervious
concrete, and vegetated landscapes.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
Other ways to reduce runoff include onsite harvesting of
rainwater and the reuse of storm water for such
nonpotable purposes as irrigation and flushing of toilets.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
Ultimately, the goal is for postdevelopment
hydrology to mimic predevelopment hydrology,
retaining as much water onsite as possible.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
Quality of Storm Water Runoff
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
We not only seek to reduce the quantity of runoff, we also seek to
improve its quality. Benefits include improved onsite water quality
for reuse and improved offsite water quality in downstream rivers,
lakes, and seas
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
This improved water quality benefits fauna and
flora in natural habitats as well as our own
consumption and uses of water.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
Water quality has already been partially improved by the management of
water quantity. Decreasing the quantity and velocity of storm water runoff
reduces the entrainment of contaminants, such as pesticides, heavy metals,
oil and grease, biological waste, garbage, and sediments.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
The next step is to minimize sources of pollutants.
Again, a significant step has already been taken through
site selection, before site design has begun.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
Specifically, locating the site within or close to a community center with
convenient access to public transportation minimizes the need for motor-
vehicle transportation and the associated tracking of contaminants, such as
grease and oil, carried by tires onto the site.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
Onsite pollution sources outside the building include
pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, animal
waste, and finishes for outdoor structures and amenities.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
There are established approaches to address each
of these pollution sources, such as integrated pest
management and organic gardening methods.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Site Water Conservation, Management, and Quality

Enhancement
The green building challenge becomes: How can the
building design best support these practices during
construction and after the building is completed?
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Transported Water
Transported water refers to water that is brought to the building
site, either the potable water supplied by a municipal water
system or well water pumped from an underground aquifer that
typically extends beyond the site and is often treated.
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Transported Water
A major goal when transporting water is to
minimize the use of potable water for
nonpotable applications
 COMMUNITY & SITE
GOALS

Transported Water
Potable water use may be reduced on a site
by landscaping with hardy and native plant
species that require little or no irrigation.
Other Site issues
Other Site issues